District 365U to increase enrollment fees for summer learning

March 01, 2013|By Joseph Ruzich, Special to the Tribune

Valley View School District 365U officials have agreed to increase enrollment fees for the district's Summer Learning Experience program.

Venus Smith, assistant superintendent of K-5 education, recently said the district lost over $147,000 last year from the program. But the new fees, along with changes in busing, will help the district recoup over $82,000, she said.

The weekly fee will increase to $110 per student compared to $100 per student last year. Out-of-district students will be charged $125 per week.

"We just want to remain fiscally responsible with the program," said Smith at an early February school board meeting when the issue was first discussed. The board officially approved the increase Feb. 25.

Smith said over 650 students enrolled in the program, which was offered for the first time last year. The program focuses on reading comprehension, writing skills and common core math. The summer learning experience program will be offered at five sites, including Pioneer, Hermansen, R.C Hill , B.J Ward and Jamie McGee elementary schools.

Registration for the program will run from March 1 to March 28. The program is for children no older than the 5th grade and they must be at least five years old by Sept. 2, 2013.

The program is part of numerous ongoing efforts at the district to align themselves with new stringent common core learning requirements.

The district has also recently integrated a new curriculum, the Compass Learning's Odyssey program, which is an online program that will help middle school students in the core area of math and reading.

Students will use the Odyssey program two to three times a week, depending on the level of need, according to district officials. Some parents and teachers opposed the Odyssey program last year, citing that it will cut instruction time in some programs such as art, music and physical education.

The district, which serves students from Bolingbrook and Romeoville, is also now offering all-day kindergarten for the first time this year. In 2011, residents responded to a district survey that indicated overwhelming support for a full-day of kindergarten with more than 80 percent supporting the idea.

Superintendent James Mitchem said last year that a full day of kindergarten can help with the academic development of children and will give them a boost before entering the 1st grade. He added that many districts around the county are implementing full-day kindergarten.